Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning

Tag: Inclusive Teaching

Workshop: Surviving to Thriving: Incorporating Trauma-Informed Instructional Practices

Register here | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho

Whether individual or collective, trauma can have a significant impact on lives and how students (and instructors) show up and are able to engage in the classroom.  In this workshop, we will explore the concept of trauma and how it applies to the classroom, recognize a few common trauma responses, investigate several educational best practices, expand our thinking with resilient pedagogy, and begin to apply these concepts to our own teaching.  Together we will move beyond minimum legal requirements or accommodations to design and implement evidence-based instructional strategies in university education.

*Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Workshop: Helping Students Learn in Difficult Classroom Conversations and Situations

Register here | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho

Are you ready to take your next steps in engaging successfully in difficult classroom conversations and situations?  In this leveled-up workshop, we will explore the elements of free speech in an educational context, investigate types of disruptions and situationally appropriate teaching responses, and analyze scenarios with colleagues.  This workshop is applicable to instructors across all disciplines for facilitating important conversations, whether or not their designed course topics include socially pressing issues (like race, gender, religion, politics).  Please note, this is the third in a four-part workshop series on important conversations.  Participants are encouraged – but not required – to engage with parts 1 and 2 before joining this session. 

*Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Workshop: How to Handle Difficult Classroom Discussions and Situations in the Moment

Register here | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho

Are you prepared to handle difficult discussions and charged situations in the classroom in the moment? Do you usually think of things later that you wish you would have said or done?  In this workshop, we will prepare and practice how to handle important and potentially tense classroom conversations in the moment.  Our focus will be on how to support everyone in the classroom – including yourself – during tense times.  We will discuss and practice several teaching approaches.  This workshop is applicable to instructors across all disciplines for facilitating important conversations, whether or not their designed course topics include socially pressing issues (like race, gender, religion, politics).  Please note, this is the second in a two-part workshop series on important conversations.  However, participants are welcome and encouraged to attend this session even if they were not able to attend part one. 

*Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Workshop: Supporting First Generation College Students

Register here | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho

Did you know that 20-30% of Mason students are considered first generation college students?  These students come from a variety of backgrounds, identities, and experiences.  Supporting first generation college students in the classroom is a way to create more inclusive learning spaces and broaden participation – and retention – in higher education.  Integrating these strategies is also an impactful way to support all students, even if they are not the specific audience of being the first generation to college.  In this workshop, we will define what it means to be “first gen,” discuss some common obstacles to success in higher education, explore approaches that can be used in the classroom and overall course design, and identify one or more applicable strategies that we might apply in our own teaching.

*Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Workshop: Preparing Your Course and Yourself for Difficult Classroom Discussions & Situations

Register here | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho

*This event was rescheduled from its original date (Feb. 6).

Do you have strategies to prepare yourself and your students to handle difficult conversations? This could be when you are having difficult conversations about topics like race, sexuality, religion, politics, or similar. These situations also could result from a discussion comment that makes a student or group uncomfortable or might even be about grades. In this workshop, we will discuss how to design (or redesign) your course and prepare yourself to facilitate important or “hot topic” conversations in the classroom.  Background information on how to design the course and prepare for facilitating important conversations in the classroom will be provided.  This workshop is applicable to instructors across all disciplines for facilitating important conversations, whether or not their designed course topics include socially pressing issues. This workshop is part of a four-part series for Mason faculty to engage in broadly inclusive education across all disciplines.

*Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Workshop: Feel Better, Teach Better: Strategies for Supporting Faculty Mental Health

Register here | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho

*This event was rescheduled from its original date (Feb. 5).

Teaching is difficult and often an isolating experience.  There are many mental health issues in academia, particularly related to the situation and the work.  Yet, only student mental health is well studied and discussed.  In this workshop, we explore faculty mental health, strategies for improving the environment, and address barriers to addressing concerns.  Please note that this is not a self-help or “yoga your way out of stress” workshop and does have discussions of mental health issues and self-harm.  While university resources are shared, this is an academic and professional development workshop, not medical or mental health advice.  Join us to create community and talk about one of the most prevalent, but under-discussed, issues in academia!

*Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Workshop: (Re)Designing Syllabi for Inclusive Classrooms that Support Learners & Instructors

Register here | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho

Are you ready to align your courses with university commitments to inclusive teaching? Or are you developing a new course or submitting an existing one for the new university-wide tags (like Mason Core)? In this workshop, we will work to advance our understanding of inclusive course design and how to improve syllabi to be more inclusive for everyone in the space (including instructors!). During the session, we will have specific discussion time to focus on connecting these ideas with your course and your discipline. At the end of the workshop, participants will leave with a greater understanding of the potential considerations for designing and redesigning inclusive course syllabi and aligning with broader institutional initiatives and expectations.

*Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Inclusive Teaching for STEM Graduate Students Mini-Course: Session 3

Register here | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho

Join the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning and build community with other STEM graduate students as we discuss how to create teaching and learning spaces that support all students, instructors, and TAs/graders.  All students, whether current TAs or hoping to have a future grader, TA, or instructor of record position, are welcome! 

Inclusive Teaching for STEM Graduate Students Mini-Course: Session 2

Register here | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho

Join the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning and build community with other STEM graduate students as we discuss how to create teaching and learning spaces that support all students, instructors, and TAs/graders.  All students, whether current TAs or hoping to have a future grader, TA, or instructor of record position, are welcome! 

Inclusive Teaching for STEM Graduate Students Mini-Course: Session 1

Register here | Facilitator: Rachel Yoho

Join the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning and build community with other STEM graduate students as we discuss how to create teaching and learning spaces that support all students, instructors, and TAs/graders.  All students, whether current TAs or hoping to have a future grader, TA, or instructor of record position, are welcome!